You Did This
by KHwhitelion
Summary: All he'd wanted was perfection. A chance to prove themselves as the superior being. He'd thought that's what they'd all wanted.  Evidently he was wrong.  Tron/First Class AU.


**I love Tron. I love X-men: First Class.**

**And I really. REALLY. BORED. So I decided to draw a crossover pic the other day and ended up writing this one-shot underneath it. It isn't my best work, but I liked the idea and how everything came together as I wrote it sooooo voila. **

**Enjoy!**

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><p>Never, in all his life cycles had ERIK felt so alive. So...untouchable. The air around him burned with the scent of looming anticipation, crawling across his black-garbed body and lighting his crystalline eyes. He tilted his head, gazing up-<em>up<em> past the Sea of Simulation, past the stalled vehicles hovering above-out and over everything and everyone and fixated on the one and only thing that mattered. The glimmering flicker of fiery white-blue.

The answer to his problem.

The key to his success.

He was so close...so very very close he could almost taste his victory; sharp and fresh in his mouth. How _riveting_.

A twisted smile tugged at his lips, one previously curled hand raising up to meet his eye-level. Everything was in place. The Guards willing, the Portal able. All that remained was one simple gesture...one swift motion...one last order...

"ERIK-stop!"

He froze, hand still poised in the air, gaze still fixated on the glowing possibility above them. Thick eyebrows furrowed, jawline tightening in frustration as that painfully familiar voice pierced his ears.

"ERIK...you said it yourself...we're better...we're superior...now's your chance to prove it!"

This time, he _did_ adjust his gaze: deep blue locking with wild-dare he say _frightened_-azure. "The time for sympathy has ended, CHARLES." He answered, voice filled with the remnants of bitter oppression. "Their use to our kind has run out."

The fear in the other's eyes intrigued him-surely he'd expected this from the start?

"No that's-that's not true and you _know it_!" He retorted, paler eyes breaking away to stare at ERIK's outstretched hand. "They wrote us! We can't...we can't just expel them from our lives!" The accented voice wavered as realization came to light-_now_ he understood. "Without them there'd _be_ no us!"

ERIK remained silent for some time, simply watching the other man with a growing fury. Always the optimist...the peace keeper. The one who dreamed of a unified world...a world where User and Program worked _together_ in this golden age of technology.

A shame dreams weren't always meant to come true.

"I'm sorry, CHARLES." He finally replied, a sliver of sympathy woven in his words. The hard lines of his face softened-just a fraction-as he looked at his friend. Why couldn't he see it? Why couldn't he see that this _was_ the right decision? The _only_ decision?

"ERIK, _please_..."

Sighing in defeat, the taller man's eyes returned to the sky. CHARLES would never see things his way, would he? No...

...he was programmed to fight for the _Users_.

But ERIK?

ERIK was bound by no such responsibility.

"I'm sorry, my friend" He reiterated, detaching himself from the phrase, "but I'm not going to follow their orders anymore."

With one swift gesture, the German Program dropped his arm, a fierce, raw cry erupting from his abdomen-

-and collapsing with a husky groan as an abrupt, unexpected force tackled him to the ground.

Rolling across the grainy surface, bumping and bruising and struggling with his attacker, it took ERIK several seconds to even process the man who'd knocked him off his feet was none other than the Program pleading for passivity moments before.

"Of all the-CHARLES, get _off_ me!" He growled, palm connecting to the other man's chin. The English Program grunted, jerking his head in an effort to remove it from harm's way, but he held fast, arms tangling with ERIK's as he tried to subdue him.

Figures _now_ he'd try to play the aggressor.

A rapidly approaching fist snapped the German Program back to attention, prompting his own hands to shove his friend-hard-in the chest, earning him a sharp grunt and freedom as CHARLES fell back, gasping and looking more than a little surprised.

"Stay down, CHARLES" He muttered, scrambling to his feet and again raising his arm. So close...so damned close...

Again a cry bubbled in his throat and again he opened his mouth to release it...

...but that damned fool didn't know when to quit and _again_ CHARLES knocked him off his feet, dragging the both of them back against the ground.

"Dammit CHARLES!" ERIK hissed, rolling onto his back as the shorter man tried to swing at him. "Stop postponing the inevitable! This is" another shove "Going to happen one way or a-gaah" dodge to the left "so stop trying to-" a little too close for comfort there "-fight me and just give IN!" Dammit! He was running out of time! The portal was closing and if he didn't act _now_ it would be too late! He had to move...had to..."GRAAAGH!" With a roar, ERIK latched his hands around the younger man's arms, using the remaining momentum to flip him on his back. "I said _stay down_" he spat, lips peeling back in a snarl. He didn't want to hurt the younger man-he REALLY didn't-but it was so. Damn. Frustrating! _Your stubbornness is going to be the end of you, CHARLES_, the German Program thought, launching himself to his feet. _If you know what's good for you, just stay PUT!_

But of course, CHARLES would do no such thing.

He never did.

Even when it was the smart thing to do, sonuvabitch didn't know when to quit.

How ERIK wished he could grab ahold of the man's mind and re-purpose him-if only to rewire some damned sense into the bastard. Even as the taller man reached for his Identity Disc-even as those other, younger Programs shook themselves from their startled stupor-he suspected his friend might drag himself upright.

He just prayed he wouldn't.

Again, ERIK took off, detaching his identity disc from his back, should CHARLES' followers attempt to obstruct his way. He had to move his troops through the Portal _now_-even if he himself didn't make it through. An anchor on the other side; that's all he needed. He'd find his way into the Users' world soon enough-what really mattered was breaking the barrier; showing those outside the Grid they were _not_ in control. They were _not_ the better ones. The flawless ones.

They were but imperfections, tainting the world with their erred thinking and defective actions.

Raising his arm one last time, the German Program skidded to a halt, barking orders towards his stalled fleet and dropping said arm down as a physical instruction to _go_. Go go _go_ towards the light, the Portal, the other side-go and wake up those fools who _dare think they held control!_

His feet kicked into gear again, propelling him forward; he might make it-if he didn't stop now he might just—

**WHRRRRRRRR!**

A flash of white, spiraling light tugged the corner of ERIK's dark eyes, and he darted to the side as a glassy metallic _disc_ sliced through the place his head had just been. He started, a surge of shocked anger sparking his system and he swiveled around with a snarl. That disc. There was only ONE here who possessed a disc THAT color.

One he'd all but written off as a nuisance, not a threat. And someone he'd evidently miscalculated.

"MacTaggart!" He growled, cerulean glare boring through the User's own dark, desperate gems. The white garbed-woman flinched, but held her ground, gloved fingers curled around the object of attack.

"I-I can't let you do this, ERIK!"

_Oh or the love of_...

"Back OFF, MacTaggart" he warned, keeping his eyes on her as he resumed motion. If she weren't a friend of CHARLES'...

"I don't have time for this" He growled, tone threatening as he spun back around, racing towards what was becoming a very tight finish line. If he could _just_ get close enough...

The sound came again, that biting hum of rotating metal as it zipped through the air.

Of course. Of COURSE she'd try again. She was so very much like CHARLES in that respect it was maddening!

"I said _BACK OFF_" ERIK roared, twisting his torso and hurling his own disc at that accursed User. He was So. Sick and TIRED. Of this human's meddling-

**CLANG!**

There were two sounds ERIK never wanted to hear. One was the humiliating hissing clank as MacTaggart's wretched boomerang of a disc rammed into his, sharply changing its path and sparing herself a very violent end.

The second was the ear-shattering scream that burst from CHARLES' throat a moment later.

_No_.

ERIK's disc ricocheted from impact, sharply changing directions.

_NO_.

His less than enthusiastic predictions came true; CHARLES hadn't yet lost his fight, pulling himself back to his feet.

_NO!_

Murphy's Law: everything that can go wrong will go wrong. Wrong place, wrong timing...wrong Program: ERIK's disc ripped through the other man's torso, shattering his bottom half in one clean cut.

"CHARLES!"

Suddenly, the Portal didn't seem to matter. Perfection held no importance. His grandiose schemes of domination over the User faded with the fallen man writhing face down on the ground before them.

"CHARLES...CHARLES no...no no no!"

Instantly, ERIK was at his side, easing him on his back, frantic eyes searching his friend's tortured face, a gloved hand grasping his shaking smaller one, trying oh so very very hard NOT to look at the gaping hole where CHARLES' legs used to be.

Before his disc changed directions.

Before the User interfered.

Hate-pure, unbridled fiery hate-consumed the German Program and his eyes shot to MacTaggart, blazing _murder_. "YOU!" He seethed, hovering over his friend protective-almost possessive-ly, "_You_ did this! This is your fault!

Ooh how he wanted her to suffer for this.

To hurt.

To cry.

To bleed her User blood all over the grainy floor beneath-

"E...ERIK..."

He looked down, violent stirrings halting as CHARLES' feeble voice reached his ears. A kind of ache he'd never felt before throbbed in his chest, spilling out over his face as he gazed at the other shaking man. "Y...you did this, ERIK..." Charles murmured in a pitiable tone, "you...you did this..."

No...no no no no...

"No..." He protested, voice wavering as it dropped from his lips "No, CHARLES I didn't-I wouldn't-"

A trembling hand raised, gently touching the older man's cheek. A melancholic smile wriggled across the English Program's mouth. "You did...my friend...you did."

Those words...so simple and insignificant on their own but here...now...spoken as they were...

He'd never felt such pain.

Such...such _guilt_. From the moment he'd been created ERIK had lived only for himself-looked out for only himself...he hadn't meant to care for the younger man in his arms...he hadn't meant to care for anyone!

"CHARLES, I-"

He what?

What could he say? CHARLES' legs were _gone_. His purpose no longer attainable. A man so determined to fight for his Users...could no longer fight at _all_.

Erik's hands tightened their grip on the shorter Program, hardened eyes all but melting with sorrow and regret as they met his friend's own azure irises. "I tried to warn you" He said finally, voice garbled with a jumble of emotions, "This...this is what they want, CHARLES. Not me. I don't...I don't want to fight you...I want you on my side."

That last statement caught in his throat.

He HAD wanted CHARLES on his side.

More than he'd wanted anything else.

More than the hate...more than the control...ERIK had wanted to know he wasn't alone. In this damned, crazy, imperfect place he'd simply wanted assurance there was at least _one_ Program who believed in him.

A sharp hiss stole his attention again and he stepped out of his thoughts as CHARLES' face twisted in pain. A warning bell went off in ERIK's head that this already horrid situation was growing even worse...as fast as the Portal was closing.

Damn. Damn DAMN DAMMIT ALL! This was NOT supposed to happen!

"CHARLES...CHARLES hold on, you've got to hold on..." ERIK mumbled, giving him a light shake. Far above him, the Portal's colorless light dulled; last call before fading away. He tore his eyes away for a second-just one second-to watch his gateway to perfection flicker and die...when he looked down again, CHARLES' eyes had closed.

_No_.

"CHARLES?"

_NO._

"CHARLES, don't do this to me!"

_NO!_

"NOOOO!"

This wasn't happening.

This. Was NOT. HAPPENING.

He wasn't gone...CHARLES wasn't gone...he wasn't...

Somewhere in the background a shrill, agonizing scream split through the air; broken...tortured...

Oh. Wait.

It was _him_ screaming, wasn't it.

" Don't do this to me CHARLES don't do this don't leave me CHARLES DON'T YOU DO THIS TO ME!"

There were more voices now-younger, warring voices-telling him to stop...telling him to let go of the man he'd all but crushed against his chest. Telling him it was too late...

...Telling him CHARLES was dead.

"E...ERIK...p-please..." MacTaggart pleaded, too cowardly to approach him herself now that the one shielding her ceased to live. Her voice bled with a sorrow she didn't deserve and when ERIK finally looked at her, his face was filled with anything but compliance.

"You..." He growled, tone dripping with fury"...selfish, pathetic, cowardly imperfection! How dare you! How DARE you mourn his death! How dare you pretend you care!"

She flinched, watering eyes dampening further. Good.

"This was just a GAME to you, wasn't it? A way to rope us _inferior_ life forms into your little 'do or die' scheme. Well guess _what_, User. One of ours IS dead. And you...just...STOOD there and WATCHED while he DIED!" His voice shot up a full scale, venomous rage radiating off him as he finally lay CHARLES down, and rose to his feet. By the way they jumped-all of them-they expected some sort of physical retaliation; CHARLES was dead-what was stopping him from having his way with the User now?

It was tempting.

Very tempting.

The thought of her blood on his hands...

...but he wouldn't give in to such primal desires.

Not now.

Not ever.

Stooping down one last time to collect his Identity Disc, ERIK's cold eyes met MacTaggart's

"I hope you enjoy your stay in our world, _User_." He spat, "You won't be seeing yours for quite some time." Attention then turned to the other four faces, all done up in pain and horror. HA. Like they actually felt remorse. "All of you. Entertain her. Show her how very _User-like_ you are. Care for _her_ the way you so evidently did for _CHARLES_."

He didn't wait for them to speak-there was nothing left to be said. He was done. Their fight...his...retaliation...it wasn't his mess anymore. Let someone else clean it up. Reattaching the disc to his back, the German Program turned his back, and walked away.


End file.
